Painful lower back - no sleep

[AnnieS19]

Suffering from severe lower back pain which has been diagnosed as arthritis. Was on Gabapentin but had to stop with side effects. Any tips to try and get sleep?

[Happyrosie]

Hello Annie. Yes sleep can be hard. Personally I’m only partially pain-free on my back - so I snore and that wakes me up! I find breathing ‘mindfully’ to be good. You can Google breathing techniques but a good one to start in to breathe in for four seconds through your nose and out for three seconds through your mouth, in each breath concentrating on a different part of your body - for instance starting from the toes then the soles of your feet then ankles and so on up.

[Gloria814]

Hello Annie So sorry to hear about your persistent back pain. I take gabapentin and that helps me. I also have used a big flat ice back to the area but lately I am using a heating pad. My doctor just told me last week that it's very important to stretch my back each day with various exercises you can look for them on the internet. But check with your doctor first. Just lying flat on a hard surface can be helpful. Best wishes to you